2011 Fall - NAVUG Magazine by Dynamic Communities, Inc

Magazine In

this Edition:

» Tips & Tricks » User Member Showcase: Nissin Foods

» Forum 2011 Preview

» A Member in Action Kevin Fons

Fall 2011 • www.navug.com 1045 Broadway Fargo, ND 58102

PRESORTED STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID FARGO, ND Permit No. 684

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AX • GP • SL • NAV

fall 2011 www.navug.com Magazine In

Tips & Tric ks

User Memb er Showcase : Nissin Foods

Magazine

this Edition:

Forum 201 1 Preview

A Member in Action Kevin Fons

In Every Issue From the Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Fall 2011 •

www.navu

g.com

1045 Broadwa y Fargo, ND 58102

Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Welcome to Our New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Word Find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Find the Logo Contest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Name That Photo Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Academy Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The List, from The Partner Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Features Meet the Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Microsoft Member Showcase Jannik Bausager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Member in Action Kevin Fons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 User Member Showcase Nissin Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Tips & Tricks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Forum Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Bringing the

Oddballs

Together

Leadership Article Bringing the Oddballs Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 ISV Member Showcase Mergetool.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Illustration by Ryan Fritz for The Partner Channel

VAR Member Showcase ArcherPoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

When Can Having Too Many Oddballs be Detrimental to Performance? There is a fine line between excusing unique work behaviors and styles and ignoring potential performance issues. Here is a general rule of thumb: if a team member’s behavior is affecting someone’s ability to meet a customer’s need, it is a performance issue. For example, if an employee is obsessed (and I mean obsessed; we’re talking off the charts obsessed) with deadlines, this may lead to a product or service that does not meet the customer’s needs because there was no time for adjusting to new information. The employee may have rushed to meet the deadline without ever asking if he/she was still delivering what the customer needed. The employee may have created something in 10 weeks, because that was the deadline, only to realize that it was not what the customer wanted. How many different ways can I say it? ODDBALL BEHAVIOR IS DETRIMENTAL IF IT AFFECTS THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE! How Do You Bring a Team of Oddballs Together? To start, a leader must establish and constantly talk about the team’s common vision or goal. The group of oddballs needs to collectively be working for the same thing. If they do not have any unifier, they will work against each other, and their differences will become exasperating. Another team leader tactic is to help people see each other as people and not just employees. Getting to know each other on a personal level leads to a better understanding and appreciation for that person. You learn to see that person as a human being, not the big “wart” on your team. You see them as a father, a brother, a mom, a musician. Another thing a leader can do is show respect and appreciation for the oddities within the team. There

can’t be favoritism toward one type of “oddity” over the other. If there is, the team will divide and fight to get the attention of the leader, similar to how kids act up because they think a parent favors one of them over the other. The leader can also gain a lot of ground simply by verbalizing the expectation that the team appreciate each other’s quirks and strengths. As obvious as it may seem, the team may think the leader is ignoring the situation if he/she does not verbalize the expectation. A leader needs to be a great coach. He/ she has to help people learn to problem solve in different ways. A leader should never become the team conduit because that enables others to admonish their responsibility of making things work out. More easily said, if team members are coming to the leader’s office to “complain” about others, it is the leader’s responsibility to listen and question so the team members can arrive at their own solution. One of the most obvious techniques of getting people who are very different from each other to work together is to do some form of training that helps them understand each other better. Common personality assessments include Jung’s Typology, Myers-Briggs, The Big Five, Herman Miller and PT/Berkeley. It matters less which assessment you choose and more that you have a quality dialogue around the results. For this, team leaders often solicit a trained facilitator that is neutral and has a broad understanding of personality and work style differences. Lastly, the team leader needs to teach people to laugh. This laughter often brings teams together because they can see how “weird” they each indeed are. Remember, laughing and being playful should never be sarcastic or hurtful; it should be warm and inviting, yet undeniably funny. In conclusion, we all have a little oddball in us, whether we want to admit it or not. If we use that for the greater good, work can become more interesting, fun and profitable. NAVUG

CONVERGENCE 2012 ©

A World of Opportunity

by Pam McGee

ometimes I think my work would be so much better if people would just quit acting stupid and do things my way. I quietly (sometimes not so quietly) ask myself: How can someone be so annoying? Does he not know that showing up late for meetings is rude? Does she not know that when we are having a strategic dialogue, it’s NOT the place for a question on where customers should park? Why does he chew those peanuts with his mouth open? Did she really just say that? If she asks one more question on things we have covered a million times, can I throw my shoe at her? And sometimes I think: man, I love how he thinks; he always brings up the most bizarre ideas. I can’t believe she just said that; I never think of that type of stuff. Have you ever heard a similar dialogue in your own head? If you have, you may be visiting the land of oddballs. Oddballs are employees that think differently. They have quirks and habits that stretch company norms; they act differently; they think differently; they have annoying behaviors; and, they can be extremely creative. Being in the land of oddballs can be draining, frustrating and challenging. It can also be refreshing, exciting and interesting.

The NAVUG Magazine

Why is a Team of Oddballs Important? Research indicates that building a team that pushes conventional thinking leads to higher performance. If you have a homogenous customer base, you may get by with a more homogenous employee base. However, most companies with a diverse customer base have found that if they hire a diverse team that resembles their customer base, it leads to a better understanding of all customers, not just a particular segment. The automotive industry has started hiring more women in their plants and on their sales floors because today’s statistics indicate that women are the primary decision makers when buying a car. Research has also proven that nonconventional teams are often extra creative, higher performing and more profitable. For example, it is my speculation that Google™ hires people who are “different.” That is, people that don’t tie themselves to conventional wisdom. They may hire musicians to be developers; anthropologists as culture experts; non-HR people to be HR people. Different perspectives often lead to better solutions and higher performance. There is a bottom line payout for a team of oddballs that works well together.

As the premier event for the Microsoft Dynamics® Customer and Partner business community, Convergence is where opportunity and innovation meet to deliver real business value.

Active learning. Networking opportunities. Solution optimization. What’s in it for you? • Discover how to maximize the full capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics solutions. • Stay up-to-date on the latest Microsoft products and technologies. • Make key business connections with peers, industry experts and Microsoft representatives. • Explore the strategy and future plans for Microsoft Dynamics software. • Develop sales opportunities with new and existing customers.

Visit the Convergence website for more details: www.microsoft.com/dynamics/convergence

March 18-21, 2012

George R. Brown Convention Center | Houston, TX

Fall 2011

Page 16

Advertiser Index Metafile Information Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Equisys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

ArcherPoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Microsoft Dynamics Convergence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

ILoveNAV.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Tribridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Altec. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

contents Fall 2011

from the director

summer2011 www.axug.com

Hello from NAVUG™! Trish Boccuti

elcome to the second issue of NAVUG magazine! I’m excited to update you on all the great happenings in the Microsoft Dynamics® NAV User Group (NAVUG) community, including the upcoming NAVUG Forum, our annual User group conference in Las Vegas on November 8-10. This year’s Forum will be our biggest and best yet. Our early bird registration alone was double from last year! We have an awesome line-up of sessions in seven different tracks: finance, IT/developers, supply chain, BI/reporting, manufacturing, strategic, and potpourri. If you aren’t registered yet, there is still time. Visit www.navugforum.com to register and to see all the session descriptions. Be sure to check out our great optional training classes on November 7. Usually, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well at Forum, what happens in Vegas definitely needs to go back to the office with you! With all the great information you learn, you and your company can take immediate action on the information gathered at Forum. This year has been busy for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV community. Many Members have started upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 and are getting accustomed to the new role-tailored client. And many are getting excited about the integration of Jet Reports’ reporting solutions and Equisys’ Zetadocs into the release. NAVUG is always on the lookout for what’s new with Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and once we learn about it, we share it with our Members. Keep up with our event calendar to ensure you’re always in the know. There has been a lot of growth in our NAVUG community as well. Since April, we have had more than 100 companies join our group! We’ve also started some new in-person regional chapters. We recently had our first PacNW regional chapter meeting, hosted by Member company Sunrise Identity. Next up are meetings in St. Louis, San Francisco, and Southern California. If you are interested in starting a chapter in your area, please drop me a note at trish@navug.com, and we’ll get the process started. With all the great growth in our community, I have one request for

This label only applies to the text stock.

The NAVUG Magazine

NAVUG Members: pretty please, with cherries on top, take the time to update your contact and company profile on NAVUG.com. The NAVUG directory is only as good as the data it contains, so it is incredibly important for everyone to keep their information up to date. Doing so enables NAVUG Premium Members to truly use the directory as a resource for finding other Users in their city, other companies in their industry, and other companies that might be running the same ISV package as them as well as companies that have taken the step to upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2. The directory can be such a rich resource, but it starts with Members updating their contact and company profiles. Instead of checking Facebook at lunch, log on to NAVUG.com and update your company profile. Also, I want to ensure you are aware of one of NAVUG’s best-kept secrets: the NAVUG Academy. The Academy has been busy scheduling online, instructor-led classes to deepen your NAV knowledge. Also offered are computer-based training (CBT) courses that are selfled – take them anytime, anywhere. If you haven’t yet tapped into this great benefit, visit the Academy section of the website for more information. Our Premium Members get at least one (and up to five) free licenses for the CBT classes. It is hard to believe this year is on the downslide. I want to thank our programming committee and our board of directors for all of their hard work over the last year. They really have made NAVUG such an amazing group to be part of. This year has been very successful for NAVUG in terms of quality programming and new Member growth. I’m looking forward to an even better 2012. So, if you are new, and you haven’t yet become involved, I challenge you to do just that! This is your group. Your community. Be a part of it. I look forward to seeing you in Vegas!

Trish Boccuti NAVUG Director of Programming

meet the board Company: The Bradshaw Group | Location: Richardson, TX | Email: lweiner@bradshawgroup.com Title: CFO | Board Member since: 2008 | NAVUG Member since: 2008 Microsoft Dynamics NAV User since: 2008 What has been your greatest personal benefit from being a Member of NAVUG? The greatest personal benefit has been creating a network of NAV Users and Partners that I can trust to help me come up with business solutions to the most difficult problems. I also have gained great satisfaction in helping others solve their Microsoft Dynamics NAV-related issues.

Lewis Rosenberg

Company: Mars Fishcare | Location: Chalfont, PA | Email: lrosenberg@aquariumpharm.com Title: Information Technology Manager | Board Member since: 2009 | NAVUG Member since: 2008 Microsoft Dynamics NAV User since: 2005 What has been your greatest personal benefit from being a Member of NAVUG? NAVUG has provided me with the resources to find the information and answers to business and NAV-related challenges. NAVUG has helped me build a network of professional contacts who use the same business tools that I use and face the same business challenges that we face at our company every day.

Company: Complete Production Services | Location: Houston, TX Email: pstuart@completeproduction.com | Title: Financial Applications Manager, IT Board Member since: 2009 | NAVUG Member since: 2010 | Microsoft Dynamics NAV User since: 2008

What has been your greatest personal benefit from being a Member of NAVUG? Sharing knowledge and ideas.

Ruben Haritoonian

Paula Smetana Stuart

Company: Nissin Foods (USA) Co, Inc. | Location: Gardena, CA Email: rharitoonian@nissinfoods.com | Title: MIS Manager | Board Member since: 2010 NAVUG™ Member since: 2007 | Microsoft Dynamics® NAV User since: 2004 What has been your greatest personal benefit from being a Member of NAVUG? Interacting with my colleagues.

Company: AMCOL International | Location: Hoffman Estates, IL | Email: veronica.woo@amcol.com Title: Business Analyst | Board Member since: 2008 | NAVUG Member since: 2008 Microsoft Dynamics NAV User since: 2001 What has been your greatest personal benefit from being a Member of NAVUG? Networking, meeting great people and peers, and sharing knowledge.

Greg Kaupp

Lee Weiner

Veronica Woo

Company: ArcherPoint LLC | Location: Atlanta, GA | Email: gkaupp@archerpoint.com Title: Managing Partner | Board Member since: 2008 | NAVUG™ Member since: 2008 Microsoft Dynamics® NAV User since: 1988 What has been your greatest personal benefit from being a Member of NAVUG? It’s been a great way to network with other NAV Partners and Customers, learn from each other, and exchange ideas.

Fall 2011

Webinars

More information and session recordings available at www.navug.com/events

October 2011 SIG: Finance | October 19, 1:00pm ET

Partner Showcase: EDI, The Lanham Advantage October 25 Academy: Choosing the Right Report Writer October 28, 1:00pm ET

November 2011

Partner Showcase: Field Level, Actions and Data Security from Mergetool.com | November 17, 1:00pm ET

December 2011 SIG: Average Costing | December 8 SIG: Finance | December 14, 1:00pm ET

Live Events

NAVUG Forum | November 8-10 | Las Vegas, NV

Regional Chapter Meetings

San Francisco Regional Chapter Meeting | October 18

events

Experience Upgrade Serenity with ArcherPoint Microsoft Dynamics NAV upgrades should be stress free. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe it? Let us change your mind. Dedicated upgrade team One team - one process Extensive upgrade knowledgebase Peer reviews on every upgrade Stress-free go-lives

www.archerpoint.com/services-upgrade-nav 866-343-4517

The NAVUG Magazine

Welcome to Our

New Members NAVUG™ is adding new Members (with new Microsoft Dynamics® NAV expertise) every day! To date in 2011, we have added 223 Member companies to the NAVUG community, bringing the group’s grand total of Member organizations to more than 800. Welcome to our new Members, and to all Members, thank you for your participation and continued support! Each new Member organization adds value not only to their own company, but also to the entire community as they share their knowledge and experiences. We’ll highlight a new Member in each issue. This issue features the Blower-Dempsay Corporation, headquartered in Santa Ana, California.

Blower-Dempsay Corporation The Blower-Dempsay Corporation is owned by a second-generation Orange County family actively involved in operating and managing the corporation since its founding in 1973. They are just starting their implementation of Microsoft Dynamics® NAV 2009 R2 and have already become active Members of the NAVUG community. They are looking forward to meeting other community Members at NAVUG Forum in Las Vegas. Blower-Dempsay Corporation divisions include: Pak West Paper and Packaging Systems, Pacific Western Container, Pacific Flexible

Solutions, Pacific Conveyor Systems, Coats Warner Corporation, Pak Master, and Serv-All. The divisions’ collective capabilities have been aligned specifically to provide their end use customers with access from one resource. From food packaging to plastic packaging to flexible packaging to environmental packaging, the divisions of Blower-Dempsay Corporation cover the broadest range of packaging solutions in their industry. Their unique capabilities include complete turnkey operational packaging systems. Welcome to NAVUG, Blower-Dempsay Corporation!

If you, too, want to explore the benefits of NAVUG Premium Membership and take advantage of membership opportunities, simply login to www.NAVUG.com, and click “company profile” in the top right corner. Scroll down and upgrade your membership today! Our Premium Members are the lifeblood of our organization and enable us to continue to provide valuable networking, educational events, and solution-specific programming.

Share the Love and Vote on Your Favorite Product Suggestions for Microsoft Dynamics NAV

Fall 2011

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Microsoft® Dynamics

NAV

AVUG™ recently sat down with Jannik Bausager, director of the Microsoft Dynamics® NAV product management team, to talk about the latest and greatest from Microsoft Dynamics NAV. This summer and fall saw the release of Microsoft Dynamics® NAV 2009 R2, a release which delivered more reporting capabilities and role-tailored client functionality. NAVUG: Tell us about the key features of the R2 release. Jannik Bausager (JB): We saw a need for integration into Microsoft® Office 365 and ad-hoc reporting, so we started to look into how we could tie Office 365 and Microsoft® Excel into Microsoft Dynamics NAV. We have a strong ISV community, so to respond quickly to our Users’ needs, we created agreements with two of our ISVs to provide the product functionality they were requesting. NAVUG: Those two ISVs being Jet Reports and Equisys, correct? JB: Yes. Jet Reports is providing an Excel reporting solution for no additional cost to Customers on a Business Ready Enhancement plan. Rather than having them buy a full version, they can get Jet Reports Express which has more than 20 reporting templates. Equisys is providing ZetaDocs Express for use with Office 365 for no additional cost to Customers on our Business Ready Enhancement plan. Zetadocs Express uses Office 365 to integrate with Microsoft SharePoint®. Basically it’s a document management system that enables Customers to drag and drop a contract into the system and store it in the cloud on Microsoft SharePoint Online, which is a component of Microsoft Office 365. Jet Reports Express was made available this summer, and Zetadocs will be available in October, both through CustomerSource. It’s important to note that while these aren’t Microsoft products, they have been in the market for a long time. NAVUG: Are you looking to make other ISV products available to Customers? JB: We’re evaluating how this is received in the marketplace. We’re not actively looking into other solutions right now, but it could be something we do in the future. The feedback thus far has been positive; now we need to have the solutions implemented on the Customer side. NAVUG: What was the catalyst for going this route with the ISV solutions? JB: We wanted to respond to Customers quickly. With Office 365 coming out this year, and more and more Customers using Excel as their reporting tool, this was an opportunity and natural evolution of the feedback we get all the time.

NAVUG: What are some of the features we can expect from the new release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV? JB: With NAV “7”, we’re building a much richer SharePoint experience, enabling parts of NAV so that Partners can extend it to meet the SharePoint integration needs of their Customers. For example, we’re coming out with a timesheet application where you have the same sort of look and feel as you see in Office and Microsoft Dynamics NAV, but the application is enabled in SharePoint. Another thing is around reporting. We’ll have tighter integration with SQL Server reporting capabilities, making them more interactive with the User. We already have some of that in NAV 2009 R2, but with the new version, you have more options when deciding how you want to view the report on your screen. We’re also looking at reducing the number of deployment days. We see new Customers wanting to get up to speed very quickly and have a rapid ROI, so we’re looking at advances we can make in that area. Finally, we’ve announced that Microsoft Dynamics NAV will be the first of the ERP products in the cloud. We’re enabling Microsoft Dynamics NAV “7” so it can run on Windows Azure and SQL Azure, so it will be possible to get Microsoft Dynamics NAV from the cloud. NAVUG: When is Microsoft Dynamics NAV “7” targeted for release? JB: Our plan is to release the next version in Q2 or Q3 of calendar year 2012. This has been previously communicated, and we’re on target with that plan. NAVUG: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our Members? JB: One of the key things is that some Customers still need to take the jump to the role-tailored client. It’s a jump because it is different, but we’ve seen that when Customers get it, they see the benefit of the role-tailored interface. With it they have their role center, complete with their assigned tasks. If Customers aren’t using it, they should definitely consider implementing it now as when we make the move to NAV “7”, the old, classic client will go away, so they’ll need to be on the role-tailored client before then. If Customers start their planning now, it will be easier for future releases. Another important message is that SQL Server will be the only database that NAV “7” will run on. Those still on the native database should start thinking about getting onto SQL Server, which is available to those Customers who are on Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 and Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2. NAVUG

microsoft

showcase Fall 2011

NAVUG

tips & tricks

What’s ZUP? by Paula Stuart

have been getting questions on what the ZUP file in Microsoft Dynamics® NAV is when closing the application. Here’s the deal: ZUP stands for Z User Profile

When you get this message, your choices are to answer: Yes If you choose “Yes”, any column moves or filters you have set in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV database as well as companies you are working on in that session will be saved. (This means that when you log into a new session, the changes you’ve made will be there.) No If you choose “No”, any column moves or filters you have set in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV database as well as companies you are working on in that session will not be saved. (This means that when you log into a new session, the changes you’ve made will not be there.)

Makin’ Copies by Paula Stuart

n both Purchase and Sales & Marketing within Orders, you have the option to print “Copies”. When you go to the Orders screen and click the Print button at the bottom, there is an Options tab. On that tab is Number of Copies. This truly means a copy of the order. For example: If you have Number of Copies …… 0, it will print one sheet If you have Number of Copies …… 1, it will print two sheets If you have Number of Copies …… 2, it will print three sheets NAVUG And so on.

The NAVUG Magazine

Paula S. Stuart serves as financial applications manager, IT for Complete Production Services, Inc. in Houston, Texas. She serves on the NAVUG™ board of advisors and as NAVUG’s events committee chairperson.

Tackle Document Management with Zetadocs for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Document Capture, Delivery and Archiving for Microsoft Dynamics® NAV Tackle document management and take advantage of the competitive edge you’ll gain by adding Zetadocs for NAV to your NAV system. Zetadocs is proven to streamline business processes, improve customer service, save time and reduce costs. Why Zetadocs for NAV? • Robust, Feature Rich, 3-in-1 (Capture, Deliver

& Archive) Solution • Addresses Document Management & Imaging which

provides an ROI in typically less than 6 months • New document imaging & batch processing capabilities

Visit our website or contact us today to learn more about the Zetadocs suite, including Zetadocs Express. www.equisys.com | 770.772.7201

Fall 2011

NAVUG™ Forum NAVUG Forum is designed with one thing in mind: to connect you, the Microsoft Dynamics® NAV User, with the right resources to address your specific Microsoft Dynamics NAV challenges, issues, and priorities. We create ample networking opportunities to make it easy for you to connect with other Users, Partners, or Microsoft team members. Those opportunities include structured networking sessions, Microsoft Town Hall meetings, exclusive expo times, interactive discussions, Microsoft Conduits, role/industry/vertical market roundtables, Ask the Experts sessions, meetings-on-thefly, networking receptions, and more. And, of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to keep the conversations and the fun going even after the day’s planned agenda is complete (after all, we will be in Vegas)! The following learning tracks contain over 85 sessions: »» BI/Reporting »» Finance »» IT/Developers »» Manufacturing »» Potpourri »» Strategic »» Supply Chain Come explore what’s possible! NAVUG Forum gives you an opportunity to meet other Microsoft Dynamics NAV Users who are in a similar industry or have similar goals. Bounce your ideas and challenges off them, and learn from their experiences to pick up some new best practices for your own organization. Someone, somewhere has solved an issue you’re grappling with right now. Don’t reinvent the wheel; simplify your life by learning from the expertise of others.

What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Stay in Vegas! “When I first attended Forum a couple of years ago, I quickly realized the value! Everywhere you turn there is another Microsoft Dynamics NAV User, someone you can discuss issues, solutions, and ideas with. The valuable knowledge you can bring back to your company is priceless!” – Lewis Rosenberg, Mars Fishcare

The NAVUG Magazine

“I go to NAVUG Forum because it’s an intimate environment where you can share and learn from other users, experts and Microsoft. The knowledge, connections, and networking opportunities are invaluable.” – Jason Chance, Seventh Generation

“A haiku… Convergence is fun. For hard, not soft, R-O-I NAV U-G Forum!” – Chris Richard, Peter Cremerna

“Forum is a conference of like-minded people looking for answers to questions about how to effectively utilize NAV to run their business. Every year I come back with several new ideas to implement. I also have a chance to increase my network of people that understand how the NAV software works. Lastly, I come away with a better understanding of the roadmap for future enhancements to the NAV software.” – Lee Weiner, Bradshaw Group

Fall 2011

Company: ArcherPoint

Interviewee: Greg Kaupp, CEO

Headquarters: Atlanta, GA

Email: greg.kaupp@archerpoint.com

Website: www.archerpoint.com

Established: 2002

NAVUG™ Partner Member Since: 2008

rcherPoint saw the value in joining NAVUG™ before the ink was dry on NAVUG’s Partner Member forms. “Our team is distributed across 23 states with clients in the 48 contiguous states, and our challenge is to support our clients well in all of their locations,” says Greg Kaupp, CEO at ArcherPoint. “When NAVUG started, I saw it as a place where we could direct our User community so they could benefit from not only our other clients, but from the community at large.” “From day one we tried to figure out how we could connect our Customers and NAVUG provided the only forum where you could do that effectively,” adds Greg. “We can talk about NAVUG all day long, but until you get somebody to take that first step and engage in the community, they won’t see what’s available to them.” The first time ArcherPoint invited a client to a NAVUG event, the User showed up with four people, further validating how important this type of networking and learning could be. “As we’ve been able to get more of our clients involved, we’ve found that NAVUG Forum has been a better fit for them than Convergence (the Microsoft Dynamics® Customer conference),” says Greg. “Our clients typically attend both Forum and Convergence, but they’ve found Forum to be more intimate and just focused on the Microsoft Dynamics® NAV community.” “As great as NAVUG and Dynamic Communities® does the event, it’s the networking that is incredibly valuable,” adds Greg. “We hear that from our clients over and over.” That networking has led to many of ArcherPoint’s clients taking on leadership roles inside of NAVUG, including the current chair, Lee Weiner of the Bradshaw Group, and board member, Ruben Haritoonian of Nissin Foods. In addition to their contributions to NAVUG, ArcherPoint is supporting the Microsoft Dynamics NAV community through www.ilovenav.com, an initiative

which was started to rally the over 86,000 companies, 1.35 million Users, and thousands of Partners that run and support Microsoft Dynamics NAV. “Being part of the Partner Advisory Council and the Global Advisory Board for NAV, I realized how fragmented the feedback is to Microsoft and we wanted to create an easy way to source feedback from the community at large,” says Greg. “Even though Microsoft does have a forum for soliciting feedback, it is often difficult to find and it tries to address a lot of other issues that aren’t related to product suggestions. My hope is to send the feedback we collect back to Microsoft since it more accurately reflects the voice of the community than Partner feedback alone.” “I also want Partners and ISVs to take suggestions from the site and provide them free of charge back to the community in the absence of a Microsoftprovided solution. We’ve already posted our first solution to the community through Mibuso and we have a couple more in the works,” adds Greg. At press time, the I Love Nav site has received over 200 suggestions from 200 Users. ArcherPoint has worked very hard to make sure that the site is not linked to them in any way so that Microsoft, Users, Partners, and ISVs all feel comfortable contributing to the cause. Overall the feedback has been positive and Greg admits a bit of surprise by Microsoft’s enthusiastic support for the program. “I think they are happy to support anyone that has a message about how much they love their products,” says Greg. “I have also talked with people on the NAV team at Microsoft who follow the site to see which product suggestions show up and the number of votes each receives.” ArcherPoint plans to support the site indefinitely, believing that if they continue to promote the site and deliver solutions back to the community free of charge, that the site will continue to build momentum and become the de facto repository of all the great ideas people have for what they would like to do with Microsoft Dynamics NAV. NAVUG

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The NAVUG Magazine

find the logo contest

Hidden somewhere between the covers of this magazine is our NAVUG Forum logo.

Can you find it? While our NAVUG logo shows up throughout the magazine, the NAVUG Forum logo appears in only one place.

(And here’s a hint: it’s not hidden on pages 12-13. That would be WAY too easy.) When you’ve found it, send an email to

logocontest@navug.com with an

explanation of where and on what page it’s at. We’ll choose a winner at random and will highlight

him/her in the next edition of the magazine.

Good Luck! Fall 2011

Bringing the

Illustration by Ryan Fritz for The Partner Channel

Oddballs Together

by Pam McGee

The NAVUG Magazine

CONVERGENCE 2012 ©

A World of Opportunity

As the premier event for the Microsoft Dynamics® Customer and Partner business community, Convergence is where opportunity and innovation meet to deliver real business value.

Visit the Convergence website for more details: www.microsoft.com/dynamics/convergence

March 18-21, 2012

George R. Brown Convention Center | Houston, TX

Fall 2011

Have You Unlocked Your Full Potential?

Discover The POwER of PrEMIuM MEMbERShIP

Just PEEK at the benefits you may be missing: Discount to annual naVuG Forum FrEE naVuG acaDEmy cBt BusinEss FounDation classEs* Discount on all naVuG acaDEmy classEs* unlimitED PrEmium wEBinars & Post-wEBinar matErial unlimitED workshoPs anD Q&a sEssions PrEFErrED rEGistration For all EVEnts accEss to all sPEcial intErEst GrouPs mEmBEr/PartnEr anD solutions DirEctory

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Academy Corner Interview We caught up with Tom Weaver, financial systems manager, and discussed his experiences in taking training at Forum. NAVUG: You signed up for two classes at Forum last year; how were they? Tom Weaver (TW): Well, first of all, the detailed instructions to prepare my laptop for these classes were easy to follow. The sessions were so incredibly helpful and such a great value. One of the unexpected benefits was the opportunity to form a relationship with the instructors, and subsequently, I’ve been able to get some great advice from them over the past year on a couple of key issues for us. NAVUG: Are you taking any training at Forum this year? TW: I had a difficult time selecting one session this year with so many great classes to choose from! I can’t wait to get there and am still hoping that I can find some funds to take more classes. NAVUG: Why should folks coming to Forum sign up for classes? TW: I think it’s just a natural fit – you’re there already, so why not extend your stay by a day or two and really dive

deep? The instructors are so knowledgeable; they’re really subject matter experts, so I like taking advantage of this opportunity because I have confidence that it’s going to be a great class. What I’ve discovered is that I get to know others in my classes that first day, and with that jump start, I continue networking with them the rest of the week, really forming relationships and sharing ideas and solutions. You simply cannot put a price on that! NAVUG: So you think it’s a good value? TW: It’s a great value. The classes are cheaper than other classes I’ve found in the market, the instructors are approachable, and the hands-on environment is great. It’s so much easier than taking a separate trip at some other time just for a class. NAVUG: Any tips for Vegas first-timers? TW: Always double down and play 27 red. Seriously, bring a camera – it’s pretty amazing. NAVUG: Thanks very much for taking the time to speak with us, Tom. TW: My pleasure.

NAVUG Academy

ooking for cost-effective, information-packed, expert-led Microsoft Dynamics® NAV classes? Join us in Vegas for Forum 2011 and our pre-conference training classes! Once again this year we’re featuring a variety of half- and full-day classes, taught by experts in Microsoft Dynamics NAV and the related tools. You’ll benefit immediately from: »» Instructor-led classroom training; instructors are experts in both the solution and in the tools »» Targeted content »» Hands-on training environment »» Lower priced than traditional in-person classes »» Discounts for NAVUG Premium Members and Microsoft Service Plan Members

Check out these titles:

»» SQL Implementation and Maintenance 101

»» Account Schedules and Analysis Views »» Manufacturing in NAV »» Financial Consolidations »» Security in NAV »» Introduction to NAV Development – Architecture, Tables, Forms, and Pages

You don’t even need to register for Summit to take the classes. Visit www.navug.com for more information. NAVUG

Fall 2011

“From the date of purchase, it took only 14 days to get the first users up and running on their new roles. This process would otherwise have taken months. The time to set up a role manually could take up to 2 hours, but with NAV Easy Security, it takes 5 minutes, and 90-95% of the tasks were accurate after only one recording. Working with Mergetool.com was great. They were very helpful and very available, which was key in the implementation.” – Antoine Geffriaud, Wood Group

Company: Mergetool.com

Interviewee: Per Mogensen, owner

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

Phone: 678-436-3250

Email: per@mergetool.com

Website: www.mergetool.com

Established: 2010

NAVUG™ Partner Member since: 2010

NAVUG: Who is Mergetool.com and what do you do? Per Mogensen (PM): We deliver services and develop tools and products for Microsoft Dynamics® NAV. In 2010 I launched the company by using the product name of Mergetool. Right now we’re doing a lot of bootcamps for Partners who are moving ISV products to the RoleTailored client, and we’ve just started to offer virtual and classroom training for Users. Our first class was actually offered through NAVUG™. NAVUG: Tell me a little about the history of your Mergetool product. PM: I worked for Navision in Denmark from 1993 to 1999 and at the time, we didn’t have a developer tool. I created the tool so that Partners could use it to upgrade and compare code during implementations and upgrades. Recently the tool has become available to Users so their own development teams can purchase it as a head start in their product upgrades. There are around 400 to 500 people that use Mergetool in their daily jobs; that’s good to hear after all these years of maintaining and improving the tool. NAVUG: What do you have coming up for Users? PM: We just released the Field Level, Actions, and Data Security product that will allow Users to control fields and apply filters so employees can only see and change the information that pertains to them, which results in fewer errors and better data protection. Users still need regular security in

Microsoft Dynamics NAV, but this can be accomplished by using the Easy Security product from Mergetool.com on top of it. NAVUG: What makes Mergetool.com different from your competitors? PM: Well, I don’t really have any competition for Mergetool and the other products from Mergetool.com. I actually have a Partner developing version control tools who is going to use Mergetool because they don’t want to go out and reinvent what already exists. NAVUG: You’ve been a long-time Member and contributor to NAVUG. How has this been beneficial to you? PM: NAVUG gives me a lot of good input from Customers. I also really enjoy the special interest groups. I’ve worked with Microsoft Dynamics NAV for 19 years, so it’s great to be able to share information with Users and other Partners. NAVUG: What do you like most about the Microsoft Dynamics NAV community? PM: I like that the Partners work with their Customers directly. Microsoft sometimes tries to get into that relationship, but since Microsoft Dynamics NAV is so customized, Microsoft can’t go in and support a Customer. I also really enjoy that I can customize my Customers’ products in ways that are targeted and very specific, solving problems that nothing else can touch. NAVUG

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The NAVUG Magazine

navug

Word

it back and relax with your favorite pen to complete the NAVUGâ&#x201E;˘ Word Find. Posted below are 25 words that relate to the topics and themes included in this edition of The NAVUG Magazine. These words can be found in the grid horizontally, vertically, diagonally, backwards, and forwards. You can submit your completed word find for a chance to win a gift certificate. Simply scan and email your entry to wordfind@navug.com.

find A C A D E M I E C H A P T T E R S N G R O W T H M

F L A S V E G A S H A R R E F O R U O L O T T E I

A O D I S C U S S K N A C A D A M Y A I D A L R C

Academy Association Certification Chapters Community

C T R O U N D T E A I B Y L E A C O N D S U I O R

O T O U K N O V A N K N O T R A I A C A D I A U O

N E U C M D I L I C E R N R I L E A D I S D V N S

D C S H L N P N A V I S N A L N N A V E D I T A O

U O N C F A G T S E L B A T D N U O R G M S R C N

I R D O I L O S T W A D M E M B E M E R E Y A A F

Conduit Discussions Forum Growth Kevin Fons

T D N A A M H C T R I I E P R E M I M E M C I D T

N S T P C O A E R S A S L A S V E G A O B O N M D

O P A S I G I N C I S C H L N A V U G E C M I U Y

I T A T A U S U Y I T U I A P K F O R M O M N I N

T I B U D C S S I D U S T U M S N T O E N U A M A

L H L E L S M E R G T S D E B A T O L M D N N E M

A E E R I A K N O W L F R K E V I N W B U O A R I

Knowledge Las Vegas Learn Lotte Cordt Ihlemann Member

C L A O M M S T O O L G O K E V I N F L I I V P C

C H N R Y E H T L N E R C S N E D A C T E T U R S

I S A S N R A S U T I O E I O R O U A R A D U E I

F I R P A G R A O A T W T I G R N I C A E F G M Q

I S E E T E R O C I R T T R A I C E R T I R L E C

MergeTool Microsoft Dynamics Navision NAVUG Paula Stuart

T I B L S E L E A R R T O T T O A I N I N G A I O

R V M B A T R D N U O R L E S B M E M C S I D H S

E A E B M E M S L A R A H S R A U T S A L U A P S

C N M I S I V A N O I T A C I F I T R E C D A C A

Premium Roundtables Share SIG Training

Fall 2011

NAVUG

contest

name that photo

e have so many great photos from our events, and we’re so glad that we can now share them with you! This photo of our incoming chairman of the board, Lee Weiner of The Bradshaw Group, was taken as he entertained the crowd at NAVUG™ Forum 2010. What would you name this photo? Simply email your submission to captioncontest@navug.com; all submissions will be printed in the magazine’s next edition.

The NAVUG Magazine

A Little Reset with

Big Dividends

by Patrick Collins

f most of your working hours are focused on technology and you’re looking for an opportunity to vary your routine, Kevin Fons offers a good example. “It’s different from my job, but in a way, it’s not,” he says. “I have a coach. He gives me a plan, and as long as I implement it correctly, it works. It’s not completely different from working with technology.” The “it” in Fons’ case is running and bicycling. But not just around the track. Last year he completed his first triathlon and first half marathon. This year, in Anchorage, Alaska, he completed his first marathon in five hours. “I really enjoyed the running up until mile 16 or so,” he says. Currently he’s training to run a half marathon with his daughter. By day, Fons oversees ERP technology for Saris Cycling Group (www.sariscyclinggroup.com), a manufacturer of bicycle transport racks for vehicles, parking and storage systems, CycleOps Bicycle Trainers, and power measurement devices. The 180-employee company is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. About five years ago, while seeking a venue for sharing ideas and experiences as well as for learning from experts, Fons became a founding board member of his regional NAVUG chapter. Today the group has approximately 30 active Member organizations and meets three times a year. “NAVUG and our regional chapter have created a great network to discuss issues and solutions with other Users, both locally and nationally. The webinars are an excellent resource for obtaining information and getting new ideas,” he says. Not long after helping launch the group, Fons, who was a casual cyclist in college, got back on his bike. His wife, who worked for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org), introduced him to the organization’s Team in Training (www.teamintraining.org). “Team in Training provides a coach and covers race fees, transportation, hotel fees, an inspirational dinner, and a victory celebration,” he says. “In return, you raise a certain amount of money, more than 75 percent of which goes directly to research and patient services.” Fons started out small, sort of: Since 2007, he’s thrice completed America’s Most Beautiful Ride, which is a 100-mile cycle, or a century ride, around Lake Tahoe. Not so small is the money contributed to leukemia and lymphoma research. Thus far, Fons has personally raised well over $50,000. The marathon in Alaska, with 535 Team in Training runners, brought in more than $2.3 million.

Fons has encountered a couple of surprises since he began riding and running for a cause. “When I ask people for a donation and I explain what I’m raising funds for, it always amazes me how generous people are,” Fons says. The other surprise is his increased awareness of the prevalence of cancer. “When I first started this, I knew one person who had a blood cancer. Now I know more than 30, including two close friends who are undergoing chemo,” he says. “Often, when I send out letters or emails asking for donations, that’s when people tell me how they’ve experienced the disease personally.” Not so surprising is his shift in perspective. “It’s humbling to meet people who are cancer survivors and are doing events,” he says. “I’m going through a little pain for four or five hours, but they’re going through worse for many months, and not by choice. It’s humbling. I also think it’s inspiring, how tough many of them are both emotionally and physically.” At a more immediate level, Fons says that there’s nothing like a good run to clear his head of any and all distractions. “At work it allows me to step back and recognize what’s important,” he says. “Going running at lunch gives me a little reset.” NAVUG To learn more about Kevin Fons’ fundraising and athletic prowess, check out his blog at http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/anchor11/kfons

member in

action Fall 2011

Company: Nissin Foods

Headquarters: Gardena, California

Interviewee: Ruben Haritoonian, information technology director

Email: RHaritoonian@nissinfoods.com

Website: www.nissinfoods.com

Established: 1948

Microsoft Dynamics® NAV User Since: 2005

NAVUG™ Member Since: 2008

Number of Employees: 21,900

Number of Users: 90

The NAVUG Magazine

issin Foods’ f o u n d e r, Momofuku Ando, had a vision for a food that could be eaten anywhere, anytime. His resulting product, “Chicken Ramen”, the first ramen noodle, was born in a time and place where it was considered a luxury item, and surely not one that would prosper in Tokyo, Japan. Fast forward 53 years and ramen noodles are as pervasive in North American culture as peanut butter sandwiches. Nissin Foods is still headquartered in Tokyo with its subsidiary headquarters in Gardena, California, and a production center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Showcasing popular brand names such as Top Ramen®, Cup Noodles®, Bowl Noodles, Souper Meal, Chow Mein, and Chow Noodles, Nissin Foods brings its ingredients together from scratch, delivering on quality each time. Ruben Haritoonian, information technology director, joined the company in 1996 to help Nissin Foods with a BPEX software implementation that ultimately didn’t go so well. Ruben and his team cobbled together a solution using Visual Basic and SQL, but they knew they had to start looking for something else. “We didn’t have any compliance or integrity in that system, and at the end of every year, we had a problem with our financial reports,” says Ruben. Tragically, the company’s lead programmer passed away, forcing the software search into high gear.

“Our administration asked me to start researching, and since they had minimal experience themselves, we hired Deloitte and Touche to look at packages for us,” says Ruben. “They looked at JD Edwards, Microsoft Dynamics® AX and Microsoft Dynamics® NAV.” Nissin soon chose Microsoft Dynamics NAV as the right fit and selected ArcherPoint as its Partner. While Nissin Foods is a mid-size company, it has enterprise-level requirements and needs that necessitated a heavy customization of Microsoft Dynamics NAV. “Our customers are the likes of Walmart, Costco, Giant, SuperValu, and the government,” says Ruben. “They have certain requirements that they expect from companies such as Coca-Cola, and even though we’re smaller, they have the same expectation of us. There’s no room for error with them; if you screw up, you start losing money instead of making money.” Nissin Foods’ list of customizations started with Lanham Associates’ EDI and E-Ship modules, then quickly escalated to additional packaged ISV solutions, custom solutions from ArcherPoint, and the Nissin Foods development team. At a high level, Nissin Foods benefits from warehouse, supply chain, trade promotion, workflow approval, business intelligence, transportation, and SQL performance management solutions. Of particular importance with these customizations is Nissin Foods’ use of Microsoft SharePoint®.

“In our business we don’t usually talk to our customers directly because we go through brokers,” says Ruben. “We’ve created a lot of forms and data entry places for our brokers in SharePoint since we didn’t want anyone outside of Nissin accessing NAV. SharePoint has become a portal for them to enter information from the outside, and then we review it from the inside.” Early on in their Partner relationship, ArcherPoint encouraged Ruben to join NAVUG and get involved with the regional chapter meetings. Eventually he took the advice and got involved, finding particular value in exchanging information with other Users – so much so that he has taken a spot on the NAVUG board. “It’s a very friendly community, and we’re free to discuss things,” says Ruben. “Having an open discussion with people and learning how they do their business has been very valuable to me.” Ruben also encourages other Users to get involved with NAVUG for mutual success. “If your UG succeeds, you succeed as well. The more Members we have, the better we’re able to provide programming that meets a variety of needs,” says Ruben. “NAVUG can also save you time as you can learn from others who have had similar challenges, saving you from doing that research on your own.” You could say, quite literally in this case, that Microsoft Dynamics NAV and NAVUG provide Nissin Foods with what it needs from soup to nuts. NAVUG

member

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